Round 6 : TheMirrorMan vs. Simon (DK) :Let's make it a game of ... "Simon says".
Game 1 : "Simon says ... Get your grand markets!" - Simon (DK) wins.
http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?/20140404/log.50785f090cf28ed55d9d72bf.1396621079463.txtLighthouse, Lookout, Workshop, Count, Counterfeit, Highway, Junk Dealer, Mystic, Grand Market, ExpandSo let's have a look at this. Key cards are going to be Highway and Grand Market. Support for Highway in Workshop (1 Highway > extra Highway, 2 Highways > Grand Market, 4 Highways > Province). Expand may play a role. For + buy Counterfeit is possible.
Second, you want to get that deck cleaned up. Junk Dealer, Lookout and Count can help with that - my plan is Junk Dealer asap to keep my deck rolling instead of the lookout. I don't want a count, because I want Workshop as terminal. I open Silver/Silver.
Simon wants to get the deck clean quicker. Silver/Lookout.
From what follows, I have to admit that the Silver/lookout seems more appealing, because we are playing with Shelters.
He follows up with a quick counterfeit instead of a Junk Dealer. Again, good call - he uses them to get to GMs quicker. I pick one up way too late.
I thought this was going to be tight, but I have to admit that his strategy is just plain out better.
In the end I can't go for provinces so go for Duchies. The moment his deck starts stalling I pull out a mega turn, but miscalculate (1 point too little). But I think the game was lost anyways, he would have probably picked up the last province.
Game 2 : "Simon says ... Go for the platinum!" - TheMirrorMan wins.
http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?/20140404/log.50785f090cf28ed55d9d72bf.1396622356861.txtStonemason, Scrying Pool, Loan, Watchtower, Taxman, Contraband, Mandarin, Mystic, Forge, King's CourtThis is a colony board with not much happening to get to $9 quickly. KC + SP are screaming for an action board, but only with Forge/Loan for trashing and Mystic for +$ ... I don't know. And no +buy.
This probably explains Simon's choice : Silver/Taxman into Big Money.
I think long and hard (so does he) and come up with something interesting. Potion/Watchtower. Wait, what ?!
Well, the watchtower will do three things :
1) Topdeck the SPs.
2) When buying a Stonemason, trash the Stonemason (but keep one in the deck for point 3)
3) Use stonemason on the estates, turning them into coppers, trashing the coppers.
Okay, now where to get money from ? Well, KC + Mystic and some remaining money.
I stock up on a lot of SPs until I get to $7, then take 2 Mystics with Stonemason and then take the KC. With 7 SPs in the deck, I am capable to interfere with his top cards each turn and his Taxman in the end doesn't hurt my action deck anymore. He is indeed quicker to the platinum, but my deck picks up a colony each turn in the end while he is struggling with the forge he bought. I win.
Game 3 : "Simon says : Junk your opponent!" - TheMirrorMan wins.
http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?/20140404/log.50785f090cf28ed55d9d72bf.1396623093359.txtBeggar, Vagrant, Doctor, Smugglers, Sea Hag, Cultist, Junk Dealer, Library, Royal Seal, ForgeNot really a deck you want to see as second player. So much junking with Cultist and Sea Hag, so expensive to trash. Doctor is there, yes as a (very) soft counter to the Sea Hag. I don't think it's a good call here, with all the ruins, unless you have $8+ ... And it's a colony board!
Simon open Smuggler/Sea Hag. Understandable : he wants to pick up the Cultists that I buy. However, I have stopped buying two terminals before the reshuffle, so I go Silver/Sea Hag and pick up a Smuggler after that.
Lucky draw in turn 3 gives him a Cultist - damn. That is going to hurt. I only get to $5 at turn 10 but then forget to pick up a Cultist and go Junk Dealer immediately.
I lose the ruins split badly (9/1) but then get a lucky turn where I can trash a cultist that I bought and get to $11 (with Silvers and coppers !!!). In the meantime, curses and ruins are gone and the vagrants are running low ... So I can pick up the last 2 vagrants to end the game.
I think I was extremily lucky here.
Game 4 : "Simon says : Ventures for the win!" - TheMirrorMan wins
http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?/20140404/log.50785f090cf28ed55d9d72bf.1396623516532.txtChancellor, Masterpiece, Pirate Ship, Taxman, Butcher, Cultist, Mandarin, Minion, Venture, Grand MarketAgain a cultist game with only Butcher to trash stuff, which is very slow. Minion is an option, but I don't believe in a junked deck with Minions. Neither does Simon.
Simon opens nothing in turn 1 so yeah ... that's going to be a Cultist already. Aargh.
I open Silver and ... yes, Chancellor! I want to be able to play the Cultists by discarding the deck as much as possible. Yes it will hurt the Cultist/BM but you need to do something.
Fortunately I can pick up a Cultist turn 3 and discard my deck. Yet it's not going smoothly enough.
What follows is weird : split in ruins is 5/5 and Simon gets very disproportionate hands : $8 and then $4 and repeat. Nothing inbetween.
The $8s are used to buy provinces (who wouldn't ?) and $4 for Silver. I decide that I need some extra Cultists and Ventures to get through my deck and skip the trash.
He's up three provinces but then his deck starts stalling. I think (as he was amazed losing afterwards - honestly, I was amazed that I won this too), that after the first province, he should have picked up more Ventures and kept me trailing. I pick up more ventures and in the end hit $8 in a few consecutive turns and take the game. Really weird.
Thanks for the games Simon (DK). Hope to see you in the Dominion League!!!
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